By Anthony Paletta
When photographer Clara Aich purchased her building in 1979 it was an unusual find in Manhattan. The former studio of sculptural firm Rochette & Parzini, it was packed with plaster models. She insisted on buying them all — and there they have remained, mounted on walls and standing on floors throughout her residence and studio.
Aich has made a magical home in the space, where her eclectic style — a bed from Indonesia, a painting by Bernard Childs, a vintage 1970s parlour game from a tag sale in Southampton, Long Island — is set amid reliefs originally cast in the space.
The three-bedroom home, currently on the market for $7.95mn, dates to 1848. Over the years it had various uses, including as a piano factory and later as a foundry for another sculptor, Maurice J Power, before it was purchased by Michael Parzini and Eugene Rochette. The duo were prolific and prominent, with their sculptures still in place at the Waldorf Astoria, Morgan Library, Central Park and numerous churches and other public venues.
The sculptural remnants — ranging from cornices to roundels to the Last Supper were initially going to be sold separately. Aich wasn’t having it. “I said ‘If I buy the building I must have the sculptures.’”
Born in Budapest, Aich and her family emigrated in the wake of the Hungarian revolution to Vienna in 1957, where she attended the Training and Research Institute for Graphic Arts. There she interned for a leading fashion photographer who told her, “If you ever want to be a really good photographer you have to go to America.” Aich was given a name to contact, Hans Namuth, a photographer best known for his portraits of abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Mark Rothko.
Aich was asked to print in Namuth’s darkroom — and she passed the test. She soon took on her own clients, from Revlon to Estée Lauder, while also photographing the work of artists and carrying out a wide range of creative projects, including solo exhibitions.
The building where her studio was located was sold in 1978 and she needed to find a replacement. “I had to have a studio with high ceilings for my photography.” Her broker’s initial finds were not inspiring. “I told the broker that I was looking for something a little more spirited and he said, “I’ll show you one!” I came in and said “That’s it! It was love at first sight.”
It wasn’t just the contents that were distinctive; the structure consisted of two double-height spaces about 25 feet high, which she dubbed “Palazzo Parzini”.
The building was in urgent need of repairs when she took ownership, however — the roof had partially collapsed, the floor was in a bad condition and there was snow inside.
Early repairs were rudimentary and like most young artists, funds were limited. Aich put in a new roof but there was no heating for about three years. Nor was there air conditioning. “When I photographed cosmetics in the summer all the lipstick would start to sweat, I had to put them in the refrigerator between takes,” says Aich.
As her volume of work grew she was able to undertake more extensive repairs. She added two loft areas to the lower floors, one of which contains her bedroom, the other files and a sleeping nook that’s “the place for 3am party guests”. She also designed the bathroom on the second floor and the main staircase. The third and fourth floors, which she previously rented out, contain a double height space, a lofted bedroom, an outdoor deck and the original iron pulley system used for moving statues between floors.
Most of the remaining Rochette & Parzini pieces were placed high on the walls to leave room for her to work. Aich is moving upstate, but plans to keep a pied-à-terre to maintain her connection to the city. She is open to including select sculptural elements as part of the sale.
Photography: Andrew Frasz for Sotheby’s International Realty
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